African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 92–104

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001291

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Challenging the Glass Ceiling: Female Leadership and Organizational Culture in African Higher Education

Names of Author: Prof. Efua Mensah¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract:
Over the past two decades, higher education institutions across Africa have witnessed steady growth in female student enrollment and early-career academic recruitment. However, senior leadership positions—including vice-chancellors, deans, and research directors—remain overwhelmingly dominated by men. Institutional policies that appear gender-neutral often mask informal networks of male patronage, disproportionate administrative service burdens on female faculty, and rigid promotion criteria that penalize caregiving responsibilities. This paper investigates the structural and cultural barriers impeding women’s progression into executive academic leadership in Ghanaian and Nigerian public universities. Anchored in gendered organization theory, the research draws upon career-history interviews with 30 senior female academics and institutional policy audits. The study reveals that while formal affirmative action frameworks exist on paper, transformative gender equity requires dismantling patriarchal mentorship models, institutionalizing family-friendly research grants, and establishing transparent leadership succession pipelines.

Keywords: Higher education, female leadership, glass ceiling, organizational culture, gender equity, academia, Ghana, Nigeria

Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 01, 2026; Revised: July 08, 2026; Accepted: July 11, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Mensah, E. (2026). Challenging the Glass Ceiling: Female Leadership and Organizational Culture in African Higher Education. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 92–104. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001291

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 79–91

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001290

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Peacebuilding Agency and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region

Names of Author: Dr. Grace Mukamana¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Gender Studies, College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.

Abstract:
Armed conflicts in the Great Lakes region have frequently deployed sexual and gender-based violence as a deliberate weapon of war, leaving enduring physical and psychological scars on women and communities. Despite being hyper-visible as victims in humanitarian narratives, African women are routinely excluded from formal peace negotiations and state-level transitional justice mechanisms. Nevertheless, grassroots women’s associations play indispensable roles in mediating local disputes, rehabilitating survivors, and rebuilding social cohesion across ethnic divides. This paper examines the informal peacebuilding strategies adopted by female community leaders in post-conflict Rwanda and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Drawing on postcolonial feminist peace theory, the study utilizes oral history interviews and archival records from regional women’s peace networks. Through thematic analysis, I illustrate how women mobilize maternal solidarity, restorative dialogue, and micro-enterprise cooperatives to foster sustainable reconciliation where top-down diplomatic interventions have stalled.

Keywords: Peacebuilding, post-conflict reconciliation, women’s agency, Great Lakes region, transitional justice, feminist peace theory, gender-based violence, solidarity

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 28, 2026; Revised: July 06, 2026; Accepted: July 09, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Mukamana, G. (2026). Women’s Peacebuilding Agency and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 79–91. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001290

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 66–78

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001289

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and the Gendered Burden of Care in the Sahel

Names of Author: Dr. Fatoumata Diallo¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.

Abstract:
Ecological degradation and prolonged droughts in the Sahel region have intensified resource scarcity, reshaping daily household labor and community survival strategies. Because socio-cultural norms assign women primary responsibility for water collection, fuelwood gathering, and subsistence food preparation, environmental shocks disproportionately expand women’s unpaid care workloads. Furthermore, long-distance travel to secure dwindling water supplies exposes rural women and girls to heightened risks of physical exhaustion, school dropout, and gender-based violence. This paper investigates the gendered dimensions of climate adaptation among agro-pastoralist communities in rural Senegal and Mali. Utilizing an African ecofeminist perspective, the study analyzes household time-use surveys alongside participatory rural appraisal workshops. The findings demonstrate that while climate stress entrenches gendered vulnerabilities, women also serve as vital custodians of indigenous ecological knowledge, spearheading community-led reforestation and water-conservation initiatives that remain underfunded by mainstream climate policies.

Keywords: Ecofeminism, climate change, water scarcity, unpaid care work, Sahel, gender vulnerability, indigenous knowledge, environmental justice

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 25, 2026; Revised: July 04, 2026; Accepted: July 07, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Diallo, F. (2026). Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and the Gendered Burden of Care in the Sahel. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 66–78. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001289

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 53–65

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001288

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Maternal Healthcare Disparities and Obstetric Violence in Urban Public Hospitals

Names of Author: Dr. Amina Bello¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Community Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Abstract:
Reducing maternal mortality remains a critical public health priority across sub-Saharan Africa, yet biomedical interventions alone often overlook the structural and interpersonal abuses women experience during childbirth. Obstetric violence—manifested through verbal humiliation, non-consented clinical procedures, neglect, and discriminatory care—deters women from utilizing skilled birth attendance in public health facilities. Low-income and adolescent mothers disproportionately bear the brunt of these institutional failures, reflecting broader intersections of gender, class, and medical hierarchy. This paper explores the lived experiences of postpartum women and midwives in three urban public hospitals in Northern Nigeria. Employing a reproductive justice framework, the research combines in-depth narrative interviews with 45 mothers and observational assessments of maternity wards. The analysis highlights how chronic underfunding, staff burnout, and normalized patriarchal attitudes toward female patients perpetuate disrespectful maternity care, underscoring the urgent need for human-rights-centered midwifery training and accountability mechanisms.

Keywords: Obstetric violence, reproductive justice, maternal healthcare, public hospitals, gender disparities, midwifery, Nigeria, women's health

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 22, 2026; Revised: July 02, 2026; Accepted: July 05, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Bello, A. (2026). Maternal Healthcare Disparities and Obstetric Violence in Urban Public Hospitals. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 53–65. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001288

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 40–52

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001287

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender Quotas and Substantive Representation in Southern African Parliaments

Names of Author: Dr. Thabo Mokoena¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Political Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract:
The adoption of gender quotas across Southern Africa has substantially increased the numerical presence of women in national legislatures over the past three decades. While descriptive representation is widely celebrated as a milestone for democratic inclusivity, scholars and feminist activists increasingly question whether higher numbers of female parliamentarians translate into substantive policy transformations for women. Party loyalty, patriarchal institutional cultures, and committee gatekeeping frequently constrain female lawmakers from advancing progressive gender legislation. This paper interrogates the relationship between legislative gender quotas and substantive feminist outcomes in South Africa and Namibia. Grounded in feminist institutionalism, the study examines parliamentary debates, legislative voting records, and key gender-equity bills passed between 2015 and 2025. Through comparative policy analysis and semi-structured interviews with female legislators, I argue that cross-party women’s caucuses and sustained alliances with civil society are essential for converting numerical representation into tangible socio-economic gains for marginalized women.

Keywords: Gender quotas, substantive representation, feminist institutionalism, women in politics, Southern Africa, legislative reform, patriarchy, governance

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 20, 2026; Revised: June 27, 2026; Accepted: June 30, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Mokoena, T. (2026). Gender Quotas and Substantive Representation in Southern African Parliaments. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 40–52. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001287

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 26–39

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001286

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Customary Land Tenure and Rural Women’s Economic Autonomy in East Africa

Names of Author: Dr. Wanjiku Mwangi¹ & Prof. Samuel Kamau²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Gender and Development Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya; ²Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract:
Agricultural production forms the backbone of rural livelihoods across East Africa, yet women who constitute the majority of smallholder farmers remain systematically excluded from formal land ownership. Although statutory reforms in several African nations recognize women’s constitutional rights to inherit and acquire property, customary patrilineal practices continue to restrict female control over arable land. Consequently, rural women face heightened economic vulnerability, limited access to agricultural credit, and reduced bargaining power within their households. This study investigates the tension between statutory land laws and customary tenure systems in rural Kenya and Uganda. Utilizing a feminist political economy framework, the paper evaluates how women’s agricultural cooperatives negotiate land access and challenge patriarchal inheritance norms. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and focus group discussions with 120 rural female farmers, the findings reveal that collective land leasing and legal literacy programs significantly enhance women’s economic autonomy and household food security.

Keywords: Land tenure, customary law, rural women, economic autonomy, feminist political economy, inheritance rights, East Africa, agrarian reform

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 18, 2026; Revised: June 25, 2026; Accepted: June 28, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.